DELAND CRAVEN

a PAIR of walts

Influences

Nothing happens in a vacuum. We are the sum of everything around us—both the prescence and the abscence of things material, intellectual, or emotional.

Walt Disney, 1946
Wikipedia, Public Domain

"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."
—
Walt Disney

Walt was a complicated guy. I'm sure his flaws will be debated but his influence cannot be denied. What I can say is it seems clear that he was someone able to realize a creative vision by bringing together and cultivating talented people. He was a bit of a perfectionist and held both himself and the people around him to a high standard. Here's a guy who started a new, untested, massive project (Disneyland) when he was 53... cuz he wanted to do something cool! He was a product of his time but also a visionary of a better and happier future.

Growing up in Southern California, a trip to Disneyland was the highlight of the year. I was filled with a wonder that lasts to this day. The attention to detail, total immersion of the experience, and a drive to continuously push the boundaries of technology is fundamental to Disney and feeds my creative, nerdy soul. 

Walter Cotten

What can I say about Walt? He was one of the coolest people I've met in my life. He was an artist in the truest sense, professor, mentor, and friend. He never told us what we should do but encouraged us to question how and why we made our creative choices. "More. Better. Faster." was his mantra. I'll cherish the memories of the smell of printing ink, the taste of cheap beer, and the creative collaboration we all shared.

Walt felt that all culture ended east of the Rockies... sorry man... I crossed the divide. Thanks for helping shape me into the maker I am today!

Gone too soon but not forgotten.

Image courtesy of P​eter de Lory © 

A smattering of what piques my interest

I believe you can get a pretty good sense of a person by the authors they read, the movies they watch, and the music they listen to. Here's a not-exhaustive list of my interests. Some of these are early influences, some are current and transient, and some are old but new to me... I've been listening to a lot of ​Musique Concrète lately.

Like pizza and Kool-Aid Blue Raspberry drink (not a paid endorsement), I'd be happy to be stuck on an island with these.

ARTISTS
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  • Jean-Michel Basquiat
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    Mary Blair
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    Claude Coats
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    Rolly Crump
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    Yale Gracey
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    Keith Haring
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    Edward Hopper
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    K​äthe Kollwitz
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    Mark Rothko
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    Adam Savage
  • Egon Schiele
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    Henri Toulouse-Lautrec
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    Johannes Vermeer
AUTHORS
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    Douglas Adams
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    Charles Bukowski
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    Italo Calvino
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    Philip K. Dick
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    William Gibson
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    Frank Herbert
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    Dan Jones
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    Robert Jordan
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    Somerset Maugham
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    Christopher Moore
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    Jonathan Stroud
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    J.R.R. Tolkien
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    Barbara Tuchman
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    Andy Weir
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    H.G. Wells
MO​VIES
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    Amelie
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    Army of Darkness
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    Blade Runner
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    Coraline
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    Fantasia
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    The Fifth Element
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    Golden Voyage of Sinbad
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    The Goonies
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    Isle of Dogs
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    Juno
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    The Life Aquatic
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    Moana
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    Nausicaa
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    Nimona
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    The Matrix
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    Prospero's Books
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    Run Lola Run
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    Shaun of the Dead
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    Star Wars
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    Wings of Desire
MUSIC
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    Terry Allen
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  • Colin Benders
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    Bongwater
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    Patsy Cline
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    Miles Davis
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    Lana Del Rey
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    Freakwater
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    The Gourds
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    Billie Holiday
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    Jolie Holland
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    James McMurtry
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    Alexi Murdoch
  • The Police
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    Portishead
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    Primus
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    Marty Robins
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    Igor Stravinsky
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    Upsammy
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    Gillian Welch
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    Hank Williams

The Golden Voyage of Sinbad
1973, Columbia Pictures

Seated Woman With Bent Knees
Egon Schiele
The National Gallery Prague

Adam Savage
Adam Savage's Tested

Igor Stravinsky
ETH-Bibliothek, Zuric

Colin Benders
Photo: Carsten Stiller

OG Disney Imagineers
Disney